Showing papers in "Journal of Engineering Education in 1996"

Engineering Ethics: What? Why? How? And When?

Abstract: Engineering ethics is professional ethics, as opposed to personal morality. It sets the standards for professional practice, and is only learned in a professional school or in professional practice. It is an essential part of professional education because it helps students deal with issues they will face in professional practice. The best way to teach engineering ethics is by using cases—not just the disaster cases that make the news, but the kinds of cases that an engineer is more likely to encounter. Many cases are available, and there are methods for analyzing them. Engineering ethics can be taught in a free-standing course, but there are strong arguments for introducing ethics in technical courses as well. Engineering is something that engineers do, and what they do has profound effects on others. If the subject of professional ethics is how members of a profession should, or should not, affect others in the course of practicing their profession, then engineering ethics is an essential aspect of engineering itself and education in professional responsibilities should be part of professional education in engineering, just as it is in law and medicine. Probably few engineering educators would disagree with these claims; their implementation in engineering education is another matter. We want to discuss the introduction of engineering ethics into engineering education in terms of four questions: What is engineering ethics? Why should it be emphasized in engineering education? How should it be taught? and When should it appear in the student’s education?

The Impact of Cultural Norms on Women

Abstract: Women student engineers' and professors' classroom experiences, especially their everyday interactions with men student engineers and professors, can be negative. This ethnographic study of the discourse used by professors and students during a sophomore design class demonstrates that some women's difficulties are the result of cultural features of engineering that are only rarely open to redefinition by women. In spite of many engineering educators' sincere commitments to improving women's experiences in engineering education, these cultural features diminish the successes of reform-minded engineering education. I detail how discourse in whole-class and teamwork settings indicated the cultural norms of engineering talk and how this discourse reinforced traditional practices that were only rarely open to revision. Also, I comment on the use of ordeals in this classroom. My findings suggest that engineering education must change before inclusion of women is realized. In particular, I suggest the changes needed are complex and include 1) more communication about the ways that cultural norms impact women and other marginalized groups, 2) forums where participants can speak openly without fear of retaliation, and 3) attention to changing those policies and practices that send narrow messages about who engineers are and what engineering might be.

Measuring the Effect of Experiential Education Using the Perry Model

Abstract: This paper reports data on how well one engineering curriculum with extensive experiential components helps students mature toward more complex thinking; toward being better able to make good decisions on ambiguous, real-world, engineering problems. Hour-long, structured interviews were used to assess students' thinking based on William Perry's Model of Intellectual Development. These cross-sectional data show Colorado School of Mines students progressing an average of 1.0 Positions during their undergraduate years. This may be an unusually high achievement. If so, the data speak to the value of experiential education in a curriculum. However, the data are disturbing in that only one quarter of graduating seniors show progression to the level needed in their professions (above Position 5), while one third of them still fall below Position 4. We argue that, to get more students to progress above Position 5, professors teaching experiential engineering courses need to be knowledgeable about developmental models like Perry's and need to use those insights proactively in mentoring their students.

Interactive Multimedia Courseware and the Hands-on Learning Experience: An Assessment Study

Abstract: An Experimental Bicycle Dissection Exercise was designed in which students perform an abbreviated and slightly altered version of the “Bicycle Dissection Exercise” offered in the Stanford course, “Mechanical Dissection.” Like the formal course version of the Exercise, student groups were supplied with a bicycle, tools, a manual, and an assigned set of questions; unlike the formal course Exercise, groups in the Experimental Exercise were also supplied with a multimedia stack that explained (through graphics, text, sound and movies) various aspects of the bicycle. This multimedia stack was created to enrich the dissection experience by providing information and background on the mechanics of bicycles. Three groups of students were videotaped performing this Experimental Bicycle Dissection Exercise. The videotapes were then evaluated by a multidisciplinary group of reviewers using a technique called Video Interaction Analysis (VIA). This paper presents a summary of the experimental assessment process and our findings regarding the educational value of the multimedia courseware in exercises with a hands-on component.

Hands‐On Experiences: An Integral Part of Engineering Curriculum Reform

Abstract: The concept of “hands-on” experiences, through Mechanical Dissection classes, as a part of engineering curriculum reform is presented. Mechanical Dissection in this context refers to a process of studying the function of a mechanical system and dismantling it in order to see how its specific function is realized. The functions of various components within the artifact and interaction between the components are also studied. Awareness of the design process, multiple solutions to a design problem, and the evolution of the technology of various artifacts and their components are focused upon. This is followed by systematic re-assembly of the artifact. The courseware and supporting laboratory modules were developed to address specific objectives. They provide the foundation for better understanding of sophomore, junior and senior courses, particularly the design oriented ones. Seven in-depth dissection modules form the basis of this course. These are a weighing scale, a money sorting machine, an electric lawn mower, an electric hand drill, a gasoline engine, a centrifugal pump and an eighteen speed bike. This course is targeted at freshman or sophomore level engineering students. Some of these modules can be simplified and transported to K-14 students. Assessment of this course has shown an overwhelming positive response from students in all aspects. This makes the course an integral part of engineering curriculum reform.

Outcomes Assessment in Engineering Education

Abstract: Outcomes assessment is a method for determining whether students have learned, have retained, and can apply what they have been taught. Assessment plans have three components: a statement of educational goals, multiple measures of achievement of the goals, and use of the resulting information to improve the education process. The results of outcomes assessment are part of a feedback loop in which faculty are provided with information that they can use to improve both their teaching and student learning. The experience of the Department of Chemical Engineering at West Virginia University is used as an example of how an assessment plan is developed and implemented. Examples of multiple measures of student learning outcomes and how the resulting information is used are presented. The resulting feedback loop allows for corrections to be made in specific classes if deficiencies are found, and indicates when remedial action should be taken to ensure that students do not graduate until a minimum level of competency is achieved.

Student Learning and Gender

Abstract: Using a qualitative research design and an anthropological theory of learning, I studied a sophomore design class to investigate how teams of women and men student engineers acquired and shared scientific and technical knowledge while developing solutions to real-world problems for government and industry clients. The course provided a forum where women and men students not only learned technical information critical to their project, but also learned how to function as engineers on a team. The design class improved some women students' experiences, but these opportunities did not exist for all women in the class or in all settings on the campus. In spite of its notable successes, some facets of the organization of the course, its implementation by the faculty, and students' beliefs that their work was “basically useless” detracted from collaborative aims. These findings suggest classroom practices to create and maintain an environment where all students can participate and learn.

A Model for On-Line Learning Networks in Engineering Education

Abstract: This paper describes a model for implementing on-line learning in engineering education. Relationships between traditional learning strategies and network-enabled engineering education are discussed. The model proposed is based on a World Wide Web implementation that includes presentation materials, on-line conferencing, demonstrations, and interactive capabilities that permit computer-mediated question and answer sessions. An example of a course implemented using these techniques for a first year engineering course is given. Guidance for engineering educators who wish to implement components of the model is provided.

Basic Engineering Software for Teaching (“BEST”) Dynamics

Abstract: Engineering dynamics is the study of motion, but textbooks and chalkboards, the traditional classroom teaching tools, cannot show that motion. Mechanical models are helpful, but relatively inflexible; they are qualitative, not quantitative. Since July 1992, personnel from the University of Missouri-Rolla have been developing and classroom testing “BEST”* (Basic Engineering Software for Teaching) Dynamics with the goal of improving the teaching and learning of engineering dynamics. About forty-five different problem simulations, representing a selection of typical kinematics and kinetics problems for both particles and rigid bodies, have been completed. These problems enable the user to vary inputs to view a wide variety of configurations and behavior. Students using “BEST” Dynamics have reported improved ability to visualize motion, and somewhat improved problem solving ability. Recent work has focused on adding, to some of the problems, “Solutions” which give detailed support in writing and solving equations. This paper will introduce the reader to “BEST” Dynamics and its classroom use. It will also provide some philosophical commentary on the applicability of instructional software to the problem-solving-oriented engineering classroom.

Change in Engineering Education: One Myth, Two Scenarios, and Three Foci

Abstract: Change is coming to engineering education, but many reform efforts have proceeded without explicitly examining the prime movers of change, the forces that resist change, or the facets or foci of the system that are most in need of change. This essay frames the current debate by seeing change as motivated by external competitive and technological forces. Resistance to change is viewed as being reinforced by the fundamental myth of engineering education that asserts the supremacy of basic research over all other engineering academic activities. After providing evidence that the myth resulted largely from an overestimation of the role of science and an underestimation of the role of engineering in World War II, the essay considers needed organizational, integrative, and programmatic changes. Among these are the creation of student-faculty teams responsible for delivering a quality education, bottom-up alliances with industrial clients, and a number of proposals aimed at helping the profession explore its human, philosophical, and historical underpinnings. The essay concludes by warning that times of great change risk making matters worse through the unintended consequences of reform. A principled methodology of reform is suggested that advocates distributed and competitive implementation together with a special appreciation for knowledge that is difficult to articulate.

Defining “Engineer:” How To Do It and Why It Matters

Abstract: Controversy concerning whether “software engineers” are, or should be, engineers provides an opportunity to think about how to define “engineer” and what effect different definitions may have on our understanding of engineering. The standard definitions of engineering are shown to generate more confusion than insight. Engineering should be defined historically, as an occupation, and ethically, as a profession. An engineer is a member of the engineering profession, that is, a member both of an occupation that is engineering by “birth,” “adoption,” or “marriage” and of the profession committed to engineering's code of ethics. Today, few “software engineers” satisfy either of these conditions. It is an open question whether they should.

Introducing Cooperative Learning into a Dynamics Lecture Class

Abstract: Numerous references have suggested that cooperative learning can significantly increase student understanding. Yet, structuring a lecture class to be given over totally to cooperative learning groups is overwhelming to most instructors and many remain unconvinced of its value. In this department, a limited experiment has served to introduce cooperative learning to the students as well as the instructor. Through a series of cooperative problem solving exercises, “lecture” classes become more active learning environments.

Engineering in Context: An Empirical Study of Freshmen Students' Conceptual Frameworks

Abstract: Calls for curricular reform in engineering include teaching engineering principles in the broader context of society. In this paper, we empirically investigate how freshmen students perceive the broader societal context of science and technology. We explored the questions: • What is the framework of knowledge and attitudes of engineering freshmen on science, technology and society (STS) issues? • How different are their frameworks from those of students in other majors? • We used a structured, open-ended interview methodology to elicit knowledge about two STS issues: “human energy needs” and “global climate change.” Our sample consists of ninety-two students. Each student was interviewed about one topic. First, we found that there was no difference in the attitude expressed about technology by engineering students and students who are not engineering majors. Both groups think science and technology solve problems more often than they create problems. Second, we found that, although the difference is not large, engineering students consistently mentioned more concepts than students with other majors, and they mentioned these concepts more often. Qualitatively, the specific concepts mentioned by the two groups were almost identical for both topics. The engineering students mentioned more technological concepts and students in other majors mentioned more societal concepts for the human energy needs topic. In summary, the knowledge and perceptions of STS issues of freshmen engineering students and students who are not engineering majors are largely similar. This suggests that common, interdisciplinary STS courses are a good approach for providing general technological literacy for both groups.

Integrating Design Education, Research and Practice at Carnegie Mellon: A Multi-disciplinary Course in Wearable Computers

Abstract: The Engineering Design Research Center (EDRC) at Carnegie Mellon University has created a two-semester design course that integrates research and education through industrially-sponsored design projects. Over the six semesters that the course has been taught, teams of undergraduate and graduate students have designed and fabricated five new generations of wearable computers. These computers have been delivered to industrial and government customers for use. The Wearable Computer Design course at the EDRC is cross-disciplinary and inter-departmental, drawing students from four colleges in nine disciplines including five engineering departments (chemical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, and engineering and public policy), architecture, computer science, industrial administration and industrial design. Students in this course learn about design theory and practice, participate in research, and successfully deliver products to sponsors. The students are exposed to the design cycle from concept, to multi-disciplinary design tradeoffs, to manufacturing, and finally to customer satisfaction and user feedback. This class also serves as a testbed for learning about the needs of a multi-disciplinary design team, for anticipating the needs of geographically-distributed design teams, for reflecting on the interplay between product design and design process, and for evaluating the design tools and design methodologies that have been developed at the EDRC.

Industrial Experience: Its Role in Faculty Commitment to Teaching

Abstract: Using national survey data for full-time faculty in engineering and the natural sciences, this paper examines whether previous work experience in industry affects faculty attitudes and behaviors toward teaching and research. The results show that across type of institution and irrespective of seniority, faculty with industrial experience spend a greater percentage of their time on teaching above and beyond their work assignment, are more likely to teach undergraduates, are less likely to think about changing jobs to spend more time on research, and are less likely to believe that publishing should be the primary criterion in promotion and tenure decisions. These results suggest that efforts to enhance the value of teaching in engineering and the natural sciences cannot be addressed solely through efforts to reform the attitudes of existing faculty. Instead, adding experience in industry as an important criterion in hiring new faculty may be fundamental to changing the existing culture and to placing greater emphasis on teaching.

The Sunrayce '95 Idea: Adding Hands‐on Design to an Engineering Curriculum

Abstract: During the 1994-95 academic year, Catalano taught a first-time senior capstone design class with the goal of entering a student-designed and built, solar-powered race car in the Department of Energy's Sunrayce '95 competition. This course came from an effort to move toward a more fully integrated mechanical engineering curriculum designed to supplement the learning experiences of students in their more traditional engineering courses. In this paper, we summarize the planning for the course, the design and construction phases of the class—especially how students and faculty perceived their design work, the cadets' perceptions of their learning during the class, and experiences of the students and faculty during the race. Teaching this new course provided insights into some of the dilemmas raised when changes to an existing curriculum are made.

Engineering Freshman Enrollments: Critical and Non-critical Factors

Abstract: Freshman enrollment and bachelors degree data over the last three decades for all undergraduates as well as engineering students are analyzed and compared to variations in the numbers of high school graduates. Engineering enrollment data trends are shown to differ significantly from those of undergraduates as a whole and to exhibit little correlation with trends in high school graduation data. Freshman engineering enrollments show a very strong correlation with factors which might indicate to high school students the magnitude of their personal economic gain such as on-campus industrial interviewing intensity, annual growth in starting salaries and starting salary levels relative to average salaries of all undergraduates. No correlation between engineering freshman enrollments and national economic conditions as measured by the Gross Domestic Product or unemployment was found. Implications of the correlation between freshman enrollments and perceived personal economic reward are considered in terms of strategies for recruiting freshmen, student performance in engineering curricula and trends for the future.

Engineering Curriculum Reform at Aalborg University

Abstract: Aalborg University in the north Jutland region of Denmark was chartered in 1974 and represents an innovative educational experiment with project-based teaching concepts. The University opened with approximately 900 students and currently enrolls an estimated 10,000. This paper examines how project-based teaching at Aalborg University has led to major engineering curriculum reforms. The Danish education initiatives are also compared to recent National Science Foundation efforts to integrate the teaching of design and economics in the United States.

Revising a Mechanical Engineering Curriculum: The Implementation Process

Abstract: In early 1990, motivated largely by concern for the highly structured nature of engineering education, the faculty of Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering initiated a two-year assessment of its curriculum. A principal conclusion of this assessment was that students should have more exposure to open-ended, cross-functional problems and that design, interpreted broadly, provided the best platform for launching appropriate curriculum changes. Specific plans for curriculum revision included a) early exposure to design and the product realization process, including issues such as marketing, manufacturing and economics, as well as concept generation, evaluation and documentation; b) integration of design and open-ended problem solving experiences across the curriculum, including the core engineering sciences courses; c) development of the softer skills associated with communication and teamwork; and d) greater emphasis on engineering practice through increased linkages with industry. To varying degrees, progress has been made on each of the foregoing objectives, and the purpose of this paper is to describe the nature of the curriculum revisions, as well as the process by which an implementation plan was developed. A retrospective assessment of the revisions and the implementation process is also provided.

Incorporating Group Writing Instruction in Engineering Courses

Abstract: Group writing is an important and integral part of the engineering workplace which is rarely addressed in most undergraduate engineering curricula. Virtually every engineering student takes courses in composition and writing; however, these courses inevitably emphasize the development of individual writing skills. Engineering students need to be exposed to different group writing styles and learn to be effective group writers. The key elements to effective group writing include group dynamics and leadership and group members attitudes towards revision and criticism. By discussing with the students the key points to successful group writing, engineering students will turn in better assignments to their instructors and will be better prepared for the engineering workplace.

Incidental Writing in the Engineering Classroom

Abstract: Currently, most of the writing that students do in engineering classes is formal writing, such as laboratory or design reports, produced at the end of the design process. Although appropriate for communicating the results of this process, formal writing tends to be less effective at helping students master the design concepts presented in the class. A potentially more beneficial form of writing is “incidental writing,” informal writing that students do throughout the course of the design process. Students enrolled in an engineering class developed under an NSF-funded program at the University of Washington kept journals throughout the class. Analysis of the journals indicated that incidental writing enables students to communicate with instructors, and improves not only the students' writing skills and comprehension of class material, but also their problem-solving abilities and ability to monitor their thinking and learning strategies.

Advanced Engineering Communication: An Integrated Writing and Communication Program for Materials Engineers

Abstract: This paper describes the disciplinary program for writing and communications developed by the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, which has been integrated into eight required core courses spread across our student's three years of study Preliminary quantitative assessment of the program indicates positive acceptance by the students and faculty, significant improvement in the quality of writing over three semesters, and significant differences in both the quality and style of writing between senior engineering students who have not participated in our program and our MSE students We have found a positive correlation between four different indices designed to measure a student's self-assessment of communication skills and a student's grade point average (GPA) Surprisingly, there is no correlation between either student's grades on papers and projects, or our measure of their improvement in communication skills, and their GPA's This result has important implications for the design and implementation of writing-within-the-discipline programs such as the one described here

Selecting computer‐aided instructional software

Abstract: Interactive computing can address the needs of a variety of learning styles, and a broad range of educational objectives, while serving a number of pedagogical roles: Presentation, Assessment, Exploration, and Analysis. These three issues are discussed in detail, along with examples from chemical engineering educational software, to help faculty learn how to analyze educational software to ensure that it's meeting the needs of their students.

Computer-Assisted Distance Learning, Part II: Examination Performance of Students On and Off Campus

Abstract: Technical Japanese courses taught to engineering students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were offered to professionals at corporations and government laboratories around the United States over a period of nine semesters via audiographic teleconferencing and interactive satellite broadcasts. Examination scores by students from three groups (campus, audiographics, satellite) were analyzed statistically on a semester-by-semester basis. In only two of the eight semesters in which a course was offered via audio-graphics was there a discernible difference (at the 5% level) between the scores of the audiographics students and the scores of the campus students. In one instance the scores of the students on campus were higher; in the other instance the scores of the students at the remote sites were higher. Over the five semesters in which a course was offered via interactive satellite broadcasts there was no semester in which the difference in scores between the satellite group and the campus group was statistically significant (at the 5% level). The results of this study support the assertion that students at remote sites in a well-planned distance education program can achieve a performance comparable to that of students who receive on-site instruction.

Using Total Quality Principles for Strategic Planning and Curriculum Revision

Abstract: This paper describes the long-term strategic planning process of the College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a process that began in the Fall of 1992 and continues today. The chronology of activities comprising this process, as well as the output of the process thus far, are presented in enough detail that they may serve as a blue print for others. First, we discuss some of the forces driving the college's educational reform efforts, especially those related to the use of TQM as the vehicle for change. Throughout the case study, we point out how (and why) certain Total Quality principles, including customer relationships, shared vision, assessment and continuous improvement, and sub-systems alignment, became integral parts of the strategic planning process.

The Future of Safety and Health in Engineering Education

Abstract: Despite calls for the integration of safety into engineering curricula and the establishment of ABET requirements for safety-related instruction, few engineering colleges have instituted formal course offerings focusing on safety and health. Impediments include the lack of room for additional coursework in the standard curriculum, the perceived unavailability of qualified faculty and instructional materials, and a widespread conviction among faculty and administrators that safety is not critical to an engineering education. Attempts to address this need by developing special instructional safety modules or enrolling students in full-semester safety courses have met with limited success. An alternative approach is to use safety-related examples and case studies to portray conventional engineering principles. Rather than separating safety instruction into a distinct course or modules, this approach would present safety principles as a fully-integrated part of traditional engineering practice. To make this idea a reality, appropriate examples and cases will need to be developed and disseminated. In addition, industry involvement, government backing, and financial support is required.

Flight Test Engineering—An Integrated Design/Laboratory Course

Abstract: Recognizing the need for more design opportunities as well as practical field experience in the undergraduate curriculum, the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Mechanics & Engineering Science at the University of Florida has introduced a course entitled “Flight Test Engineering.” Students are organized into teams which conduct a series of four flight test experiments including one involving an original design project. The course promotes interdisciplinary interaction in our curriculum and is supported by a variety of other courses in our department by contributions of assistance in data analysis, equipment calibration, wind-tunnel testing of equipment mounts, software development, and systems integration. As part of their original design project, students generate written technical documents and drawings and present oral reports to the Federal Aviation Administration to receive approval for installation of their equipment in the aircraft.

Lessons From Using TQM in the Classroom

Abstract: This paper describes efforts to apply Total Quality Management (TQM) concepts and the ideas of customer focus, data-based decision making, and continuous improvement to instruction in a 100-student, junior-level probability and statistics course. By adopting a customer focus and establishing a dialogue with the students in the course, it became clear that lectures, handouts, and homework assignments could be more effective. Things often went wrong because students and the instructor had different expectations about what was or should be happening. This experience suggests that establishing a dialogue with students, building a teacher-student partnership for learning, and addressing differences in expectations and objectives are crucial to the development of an effective learning environment in engineering classrooms.

Poetry in Engineering Education

Abstract: An important element of integrating disciplines and enhancing creativity in Drexel University's engineering curriculum is an assignment which combines poetry and engineering. For this assignment, students choose an artifact, research it, create a one-page annotated visual explaining how it works, and then write an original poem about it. Although the poetry instruction, based on a transactional model, takes place in the Humanities classroom, student poems become a component of a concurrent engineering assignment and are read aloud in an engineering lecture, attended by humanities faculty, designated as the “Poetry Reading.” Short in length and having a distinct design on the page, poetry is a particularly suitable literary medium for engineering students to explore. Students relinquish stereotypes about engineers when they see their engineering professor endorse poetry. They also begin to broaden their educational and professional goals.